More than 200 inmates escape Pakistani prison after an earthquake

Over 200 inmates escaped from a prison in Pakistan Monday after a series of earthquakes shook the port city of Karachi and set off panic, local authorities said.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — More than 200 inmates escaped from a prison in Pakistan on Monday after a series of earthquakes shook the southern port city of Karachi and set off panic, local authorities said.

More than 600 inmates at Malir prison were being transferred to another section of the facility for their security after the quake when some attempted to flee, Zia-ul-Hasan Lanjar, the interior minister of Sindh province, told reporters Tuesday.

So far, 80 escapees have been rearrested, jail Superintendent Arshad Shah told reporters in Karachi, adding that “efforts are underway to recapture the remaining 136 prisoners.”

One inmate was killed and 22 others, including prison and police personnel, were wounded in the ensuing chaos Monday night, Lanjar told reporters.

A broken glass window inside the prison.Akhtar Soomro / REUTERSGhulam Nabi Memon, the Sindh province police chief, said most of the inmates were facing drug charges and other smaller cases.